Are the Older Books still useful?

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magictiger
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Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by magictiger »

Hi Guys,
I was wondering if the older robotech books are still useful?? I only have a few of the new ones, but was wondering if the older printed books like the Sentinals still useful for making characters and stuff??

Thanks guys.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Lt Gargoyle »

i like the older books and yes i find the Sentinels very useful. If your asking should you pick the book up, i d say yes.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

Yes the older books are still useful. If inter-mixing you may need to do some leg work to get them to fit together properly or things might seem out of place. The Older Books OCCs will look under-skilled in comparison to newer books in number of skills (though in some cases offer better proficiency). Hardware may also look a bit off, but is more easily adapted.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by jaymz »

ALL the old books are VERY useful.

Mecha will need some "upgrades" MDC and weapon damage wise in many cases but that is easy enough to figure out just by side by side comparisons of the like units between the two.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by jedi078 »

Yes the older books are very useful. The mecha can easily be converted to 2E stats and you can call them IMU's or full/limited production mecha as you deem fit. The material regarding the situation of the world is helpful because we only get a few sentences regarding some parts of the world. The deck plans for the Zent ships (I use the ones from the Macross II books), Robotech Factory, and RDF/REF bases are a big help, since we don't have anything for them in the 2E books. Last but not lease but the random encounter tables and adventure scenario's can also be use if you deem fit.

Books I recommend
Macross II deck plans Vol 1-3
Strike Force (lots of mecha)
Return of the Masters (Has deck plans for a Robotech factory, also get the 2nd edition of the book that has 90 extra pages and more mecha)
New World Order (If you want a base line to work off of for a campaign set in Africa)
Zentreadi Breakout (Lots of ideas for South America here)
RDF Manual (deck plans for the Daedalus, and Prometheus and soem info about the world)
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

Until there are 2nd ed books cover the time period the 1st ed books are useful.

M2 deck plans: the parts that cover the Zentraedi are the parts that are most useful. The UN-SPACY ships "could be" useful if you are making an off-world/non-UEEF built ships. I would exclude the macross cannon from use in the RT setting 'out of hand'.

Strike Force: the mecha and classes. this is THE one Book I want as a 2nd ed book from the reconstruction era.

RotM(expanded) This is almost good enough to stand 'as is' for 2nd ed.

NWO: *shrugs* has a "land Ship" :roll:

ZB: this, the book that covers the Malcontent Uprisings, is ho hum..to short, this needs a time line books like the CS/Tolkeen war book.

The Sentinals book....the story is good...the destroids are :roll: .

RDF M: till there is a 2nd ed book like this, this is good. However, I think it would best to merge this and the training manual book together for the 2nd ed book.
Last edited by drewkitty ~..~ on Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by jaymz »

Actually drewkitty they call it a "Expanded 2nd Edition" though the reality is it's just "Expanded" :lol:
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

jaymz wrote:Actually drewkitty they call it a "Expanded 2nd Edition" though the reality is it's just "Expanded" :lol:

And the sentinels book is called RoboTech II (RT2). :roll: :P
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by jaymz »

I'm not the one that said Return of the Masters wasn't a "Second Edition" and Sentinels IS Robotech II. The Series was to be called ROBOTECH II The Sentinels. :P
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Alpha 11 »

jaymz wrote:ALL the old books are VERY useful.

Mecha will need some "upgrades" MDC and weapon damage wise in many cases but that is easy enough to figure out just by side by side comparisons of the like units between the two.


Agree.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by thorr-kan »

I bought Deluxe Shadow Chronicles and Genesis Pits for reference for 1st Edition.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Devjannz »

I still love the Sentinels and REF Field Giude from the original line. Lots of great information like deck plans for the SDF-3 and the Ikazutchi carrier. I can see adapting the stuff from there to use in the SC edition.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Lt Gargoyle »

Devjannz wrote:I still love the Sentinels and REF Field Giude from the original line. Lots of great information like deck plans for the SDF-3 and the Ikazutchi carrier. I can see adapting the stuff from there to use in the SC edition.


I still use them. And the zent. Book for deak plans.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by FreelancerMar »

in a word yes
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by taalismn »

Hell yes.
SHIPS.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

I think we can all say that the reason we play 2nd Edition is because the 1st edition was so fundamentally good! Sure, there is allot of weird stuff, like the land ship... and pretty much EVERYTHING in Lancers Rockers! And there were lots of mistakes in regards to mecha, such as the Oberth-class being identified as a space fighter and all the EBSIS mecha. But over all, I am still a big fan.

I think they are most useful for background information on the state of the Earth's politics and powers. I am still a fan of having EBSIS around, though some people dislike it.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

Oh, yeah, as far as using it, I guess make sure whatever parts you do use don't contradict the 2nd ed... and use some common sense in what parts you make use of. (*cough* Land Ship.)
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by taalismn »

STRIKE FORCE and Return of the Masters 2nd edition!!!!!
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Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

Tim Wing wrote:Oh, yeah, as far as using it, I guess make sure whatever parts you do use don't contradict the 2nd ed... and use some common sense in what parts you make use of. (*cough* Land Ship.)

Re: the Land Ship.
1. the basic concept though is duplicated in the (later?) period REF GMU. Granted the GMU can be moved by air, and this thing can't (IIRC). So one could work in some type Land Ship/GMU relationship if one really wanted to.
2. about the only thing that in-universe that jumps out as making no sense (IMHO) is the "main artillery" pieces and their "terrifying "1d6md is useless against anyone using MDC technology), the secondary guns do better damage, never mind its complement of missiles. Really I find it easier to just modify the weapon systems (MAC-II cannons for the main turret, Raider-X for some of the secondary turrets, I'd probably change the LRMs to MRMs to). MDC might be a little light to.
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Tim Wing
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

I've always taken liberties with the listed mega-damage and MDC ratings in the game. Of course, my back-ground as a tanker influences me a great deal on this... I have some idea of what can kill what.

Still, that land ship makes my sphincter twitch! lol.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by SRoss »

Tim Wing wrote:I've always taken liberties with the listed mega-damage and MDC ratings in the game. Of course, my back-ground as a tanker influences me a great deal on this... I have some idea of what can kill what.

Still, that land ship makes my sphincter twitch! lol.


I think the writer that came up with that was watching too much GUNDAM.
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Tim Wing
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

SRoss wrote:
Tim Wing wrote:I've always taken liberties with the listed mega-damage and MDC ratings in the game. Of course, my back-ground as a tanker influences me a great deal on this... I have some idea of what can kill what.

Still, that land ship makes my sphincter twitch! lol.


I think the writer that came up with that was watching too much GUNDAM.


lol. Yup. That or Area 88!
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Tim Wing
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

In case you've never seen it (I just now discovered the new version, looking for a pic... up till now I had only seen the old three part OVA from the eighties. So, yeah, my week has been made!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgCQWt0pbhs
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by glitterboy2098 »

i have both the old OVA and the new series on DVD.. i prefer the newer one, personally. i've also got some of the translated Comics.. though evidently the landships and other more scifi stuff are from parts that didn't get released in the US.

also, worth noting.. the world of Ace Combat was heavily influenced and inspired by Area 88.. which explains a lot actually. (in ace combat Zero, when you get the F-20 Tigershark, the 'Knight' paint scheme is basically Kazama's scheme without the tail art..)
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

I have a bunch of the old comics from the eighties as well. Honestly, Area 88 along with Nausica of the Valley of the Wind are my two favorite manga. And Initial D... because race car.

But, yeah, I had no idea there was a new version till today. And I agree, its even better than the original!
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Rabid Southern Cross Fan »

I think the older books are incredibly useful since there is still a great deal of equipment and mecha that have yet to be brought back into the RPG (and The Sentinels RPG has a good deal of Southern Cross equipment that should have been in the new books). There is also the fact that the setting information in the older books could still be (to some degree) valid. Where the EBSIS was used in the old RPG, substitute the Anti-Unification League instead.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Alpha 11 »

:ok: Agree. Nice anime.
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Re: Are the Older Books still useful?

Unread post by Tim Wing »

Well, Anti-Unification League for pre 1st Robotech War... I think EBSIS is still perfectly viable for the post war period. The Soviet Union was certainly a part of the United Nations Earth Government through the first war. But during the reconstruction period, there is no reason why they and the UEG could not have had a falling out. It makes plenty of sense, given Russia's track record. And this hardly paints them as bad guys. The UEG was, after all, a semi-military dictatorship...
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